19-Century cadastral maps of Galicia are wonderful source for genealogists. They may help finding exact localization of ancestral house, show how big it was and how far it was from the synagogue. The extremely detailed maps—full of tiny lines, signs and abbreviations—are hard to interpret without access to the original map legends. Original map legends were published in German separately from the maps.
This is first translation to English of the map legends of the Austro-Hungarian cadastral maps. Below you can find all symbols from Zeichenmuster für die Katastralmappen published in 1849 (found on GesherGalicia) supplemented with a few symbols from later map legend, probably from early 20th century, which I’ve found in the Przemyśl Archives.
For possible issues with house localization see our earlier post on the maps of Drohobych.
GesherGalicia Map Room, szukajwarchiwach.pl, and the Przemyśl Archives provides scans of cadastral maps of numerous Galician towns. Still, there are thousands of more available only in the archives in Lviv, Przemyśl, Rzeszów, and Krakow, covering almost every town and village in Galicia. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in researching them.
Soil and field types
Ornamental garden Zier gärten |
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Orchards Obst gärten |
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Vegetable fields Gemüse Gärten |
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Vineyards Wein Gärten |
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Hop fields Hopfen Gärten |
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Saffron field Saffran Bau. |
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Citrus field Grapp bau. |
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Tobacco field Tobak bau. |
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Dry meadow Trokene Wiesen |
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Wet meadow Naise Wiesen |
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Meadows with fruit trees Wiesen mit Obstbäumen |
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Pastures (W.) Weiden |
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Community pastures (G.W.) Gemeinde Weiden |
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Marsh Sümpfe |
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Marsh with reeds Sümpfe mit Rohrwuchs |
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Agricultural land Äcker |
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Agricultural land with high iron content (Rott) Rott oder Trisch Äcker |
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Land with fruit trees Äcker mit Obstbäumen |
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Land with olive trees Äcker mit Öhlbäumen |
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Land with grapevines Äcker mit Weinreben |
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Rice fields Reis felder |
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Brushwood Gestrippe |
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English garden Englische Anlagen. |
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Chestnut woods Kastanien Wälder |
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Olive woods Oliven wälder |
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Sand and gravel pits Sand und Schotter Gruben |
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Clay pits Lehm gruben |
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Bog Torfstiche |
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Sea salt works Meer salinen |
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Quarry Steinbrücke |
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Desolate land (Oed.) ÖdenBare rock (K.G.) Nackte Felsen. |
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Groves Remisen |
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Mixed forest | ||
Coniferous forests Nadelholz Wälder |
J.M. young forest JungmaisS.H. pole forest StangenholzM.H. medium forest MittelholzH.S. high tree plantation Hochstämmig schlager |
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Hardwood forests Laubholz Wälder |
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Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams Seen, Teiche, Flüsse, und BächeLagoon LagunenSluice gate Ablass SchleussenSand bank Sandbanke |
SymbolsBuildings |
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Synagogue Synagoge |
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Roman-catholic church (or Greek-catholic) Röm. kath. u. griech. unierte Kirche |
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Greek-catholic church Griech. u. unierte Kirche |
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Protestant church Evangelische Kirche |
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Public building Öffentliche gebaude |
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Stone building Steinerne gebaude |
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Wooden building Wirthschafts [Hölzerne-] Gebaude |
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Stone residential building Steinerne Wohngebäude |
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Wooden residential building Hölzerne Wohngebäude |
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Stone outbuilding Steinerne Wirtschaftsgebäude |
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Wooden outbuilding Hölzerne Wirtschaftsgebäude |
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Post office Posthaus |
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Forester’s house Jägerhaus |
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Inn Wirthshaus |
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Ruins Ruine |
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Stone windmill Steinerne Windmühle |
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Wooden windmill Hölzerne Windmühle |
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Water mill Mahlmühle |
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Sawmill Sägemühle |
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Borders |
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County border (of the Empire) Ländergrenzen |
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State border (eg. Galicia) Kreisgrenzen |
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District (Bezirk, powiat) Bezirksgrenzen |
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Community (gemeinde, gmina) Gemeindegrenzen |
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Roads |
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Highway with trench Chaussée mit Graben |
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Highway without trench Chaussée ohne Graben |
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District road with trench Verbindungswege mit Graben |
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District road without trench Verbindungswege ohne Graben |
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Dirt route Prügelwege |
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Bridle path Saumwege |
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Path Fusswege |
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Water related objects |
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Stone pile bridge Steinerne Jochbrücke |
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Wooden pile bridge Hölzerne Jochbrücke |
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Wooden bridge with stone piles Hölzerne Brücke mit steinernen Jochen |
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Pontoon bridge Schiffbrücke |
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Stone dam Steindamm |
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Embankment dam Erddamm |
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Dry trench Trockener Graben |
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Wet trench Nasser Graben |
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Stone weir Steinerne Wehre |
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Wooden weir Hölzerne Wehre |
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Cistern Zisterne |
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Stone well Steinerner Rohrbrunn |
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Wooden well Hölzerner Rohrbrunn |
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Logs on river Holzschwemme |
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Log flume Holzriesen |
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Wooden flotsam screening Holzrechen |
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Water tank Wasserhälter |
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Canal with sluice Canále mit Schleussen |
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Fascine Faschinen Bau |
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Reaction ferry Fliegende Brücke |
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Stone dike Steinerne Uferversicherung |
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Wooden dike Hölzerne Uferversicherung |
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River direction Stromstrich |
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Brick aqueduct Gemauerte Wasserleitung |
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Wooden aqueduct Hölzerne Wasserleitung |
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Anchorage Ankerplatze |
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Cemeteries |
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Cemetery with wall Beerdigung Plätze mit Mauer |
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Cemetery with fence Beerdigung Plätze mit Einplankung |
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Jewish cemetery Beerdigung Plätze der Israeliten |
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Fences |
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Hedgerow Heken |
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Fence Zäune |
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Fence with stone columns Zaun mit steinernen Pfeilern |
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Wall Mauer |
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Wayside objects |
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Column shrine Martersäule |
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Stone wayside shrine Steinerne Kapelle |
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Wooden wayside shrine Hölzerne Kapelle |
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Stone wayside cross Steinernes Kreutz |
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Wooden wayside cross Hölzernes Kreutz |
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Stone distance sign Steinerner Milezeiger |
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Wooden distance sign Hölzerner Milezeiger |
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Stone signpost Steinerner Wegweiser |
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Wooden signpost Hölzerner Wegweiser |
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Border stone Grenzsteine |
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Border sign (cairn) Grenz Zeichen (Hotter) |
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Gallows Hochgericht |
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Other |
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Trigonometrical point Trigonometrischer Punkt |
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Graphical point Graphischer Punkt |